What the term “paperwork” has done to the concept of the office

There are very few people in the world who get excited over the idea of paperwork. That one word has become synonymously linked to other words like, ‘drudgery’, ‘frustration’, ‘boredom’, and ‘annoyance’. The reason for this is simple: it combines the need for work and paper into one monotonous ideal. Nobody wants to put forth more work than is really needed, and there are very few more bland and boring things in the world than paper.

If you are someone who has to endure the need for paperwork on a regular basis, then it might be helpful for you to know that there are some great options out there that are nullifying the need for paperwork in the physical sense you now know.

Document Management Software (DMS) programs have created the ability for you to complete the work you used to do with paper with more speed, less confusion, more organization, less safety hazards, and more fascinating interfaces.

More Speed

One of the most frustrating issues people face when dealing with mountains of paperwork is the amount of time spent dealing with the paper. The need to fill out a number of documents in order to complete even the simplest of transactions has led to a lot of wasted time over the years.

If your company is still stuck in the mire of paperwork, then you likely have overworked employees and a laundry list of dissatisfied clients. The time it takes to file, process, and store the needed paperwork for any purchase or trade of services leaves a much-too-large span of time where the customer is not being satisfied in an efficient way.

Jim Highsmith with ThoughtWorks sums this up by stating: “In today’s digital age we still need an operational excellence strategy, but of a different kind. Today we need excellence in operational agility.” A good DMS system will drop the need for large amounts of the dreaded traditional paperwork, and will increase your operational agility.

Less Confusion

There is nothing more confusing or intimidating than a large stack of bureaucratic paperwork. If you have a number of systems and transactions that have to be complete via paperwork, then it can help to lessen the confusion by switching to a more digitally based system.

A change of this nature will allow you the chance to review all of these documents and processes and to streamline them as they are transferred to the digital format. This can lessen the confusion and decrease the amount of information that has to be given and trudged through.

More Organization

Storing mountains of paper in your filing cabinets is a very inefficient way to do business. As Christopher Null with PCWorld states, “I can’t think of any less useful way to utilize office space, especially when most of the contents, once filed, will never be touched again.” The truth is that most of the documents you are storing will never be needed again.

It is important to store certain bits of information as there is a remote possibility that it will be needed again at some point. This makes it necessary to store the documents, but with the use of DMS technology, you do not have to dedicate physical space to such documents.

By giving up the filing cabinets, you will be allowing for more organization. The files can be organized any way you see fit as you will not be limited by space or lack of supplies like folders and separation tabs. The ease of finding this information will also help you be more organized and to work more efficiently.

Less Safety Hazards

Papercuts are no laughing matter to most HR representatives. If you had to spend your life surrounded by and rifling full stacks of paperwork in varying stages of decay, then you would understand better some of the physical dangers that come with this archaic form of document storage. Some of the physical dangers that are no longer present when you switch to a paperless office format are as follows:

Papercuts

Falling filing cabinets

Respiratory problems

Allergies

What is more important, however, than the increase in physical safety is the way that DMS technology can increase the identity safety of information and sensitive data on documents. These programs come equipped to help you keep that vital information safe for you, the company, the employees, and the clients. This safety measure should be a huge priority for any company storing sensitive data of any kind.

More Fascinating Interfaces

Boredom and monotony are two common complaints about working with paperwork and physical documents. A good DMS system will take away this drudgery and replace it with a system that is fun and exciting to work with. Everything will be cleaner, and the speed of completing needed assignments will decrease in a big way. The new system will offer a more comfortable and exciting way to complete needed work in the office, and actual paper is not needed for any of it.